I agree with that totally. However, it doesn't work if only one partner is willing to do it. A marriage takes two people and when one of them turns from God and divorces, the other is left with no choice. - Kim

Two things wrong with today's devotion.
1)
What Jesus actually said, according to Mark 10:11-2:

And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;

12 and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.

Did Jesus not make it clear enough? But that wouldn't be practical. So people begin to rationalize and interpret these verses to mean whatever they want.

2)
From the Christian evangelical Barna research group:
"Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience."

So if you want to stay married,like our Lord commands us to, become an agnostic. - Erik

Can you tell me your source for the Augsburger survey? I had heard statistics like those sited by the previous commenter from Barna, that Christians weren't doing any better than non Christians in marriage persistency. - Mike Hardin

Statistic are very easily manipulated - from the way you word the question to the people you poll. However, the difference in the Augsberger survey and the Barna research is the way they define a Christian. We all know being a Christian means more than saying you believe in God and Jesus. It seems that the people who are making an effort to submit control of their lives to Christ are more successful in keeping a marriage together. BTW Erik, I don't see anything "impractical" about what Jesus said in Mark 10. I think it is the truth, like all of what Jesus said. What does practicality have to do with truth? Practical or not - 2+2 equals 4. - Austin

Erik, you mentioned "our Lord"" in your response & I was so happy for you thinking you had become a christian. You know you must accept Jesus Christ as your saviour to have eternal life. Are you actually agnostic or just pretending? Explain agnostic for me please & what you actually believe. - Charlotte

I would like to hear the answer from a different perspective. Specifically from who is already divorced.

Also Erik, stay married but please don't become an agnostic. God loves you too much to lose you, son. - Dwyer

According to another account, it was recorded that Jesus said it would not result in adultery in the event of unfaithfulness (Matt 19:9) by the other party. Paul later notes that "...if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances". However, if the unbeliever is willing to stay in the marriage, then you should stay married. 1 Cor 7:12-15.

It is clear that scripture says it is not God's will that a man and woman divorce, but because of our sinfulness, man has made provision for it. In the bible, the only time it is deemed ok is in the event of unfaithfulness or if an unbelieving spouse walks away from the marriage. Otherwise, we are called to stay married and work it out.

This is why those who are committed to following Christ will have a better chance at success in their marriage, assuming both parties are committed to that. That's one reason the bible also tells us not to be "unequally yoked". - Rick Y

These are excellent points. However, for those who have failed, I would add that divorce is certainly not "the unforgiveable sin" and that God's strength & forgiveness is there for EVERY sinner who calls on him.

Tks! - Johnny Aldridge

Bryant,
Thanks sooooo much for this wonderful insight into divorce. Also thanks for the time you spent with me the other day on a similar topic at LA Fitness. For all of us unfortunate to have already gone through a divorce, would you please discuss the issue Jesus puts forth on remarriage. Are there different guidelines for a man vs a woman and does Luke 16: 18 seal all our fates in regards to ever being able to remarry after a divorce?

Thanks For Being Such a Great Shepard,
Bill

P.S.
I continue to be cautious, but it's difficult to say the least. Along with our wonderful will He gave us, He also added emotions. Blast!!! - Bill Marsh

I can not find anything on the Myron Augsberger survey on marriage and divorce on Google, or any other internet search engine. This is important to me. So, would you show me where to find this survey? - DAVID ROBINETTE

Very true, Johnny, about Divorce not being an unforgivable sin. Thanks for that reminder. God forgives all sins for those who admit their need for a saviour, and who put their trust in his son Jesus Christ. We are all dead in our sins. Those who are already divorced, who approach God with a repentant heart, are forgiven just as any other believer who has placed their trust in Jesus. - Rick Y

Does anyone(especially Erik) have thoughts on remarriage after divorce as relates to Luke 16: 18 -"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." I and the woman I plan to marry are both divorced. Does Jesus allow us to remarry or are we guilty of being involved in "premeditated adultery"? Is being single the rest of our lives the only obedient course of action? Bill - Bill

Hey Bill - my two cents - I think that unless the divorce was the result of unfaithfulness or a non-believer abandoning you, the instruction from God is to stay single. Not easy. Especially when you add the responsibility of sexual purity. Man, I'm glad I am not divorced. - Austin

DAVID - all I could find was this - "Myron Augsberger, retired pastor and instructor for Eastern Mennonite Seminary of Harrisonburg, Va., will provide the evening Wednesday evening’s keynote presentation. Augsberger has served as an evangelist preacher, pastor of three congregations, professor of Theology and president of Eastern Mennonite University and Seminary, and moderator of the General Assembly of the Mennonite Church USA. He also has written and co-authored 25 books; most recently Soi Deo Gloria: A Daily Walk Through Romans and The Resurrection Life."
- Austin

After my divorce, feeling lost, afraid, guilty and hopeless, I talked to my pastor. He changed my life by saying to me, "divorce is sin, but not an unforgiveable sin. Let's pray for your forgiveness now" We did. It was a life saving moment for me. My life has been challenging, but blessed ever since. God makes rules for us that make our lives better and happy if we follow them, but not bound for hell if we can't or won't, as long as we have true remorse for sin. The meaningful word is "true". Thank You to God for forgiveness and redemption! - Brenda

A customer of ours is a phychologist. She did her doctorite on the differences between couples that stay married after a death of a child and those who divorse after such a personal disaster. Most couples divorse after the death of a child. It's a double whammy to the other children - losing a sibling, then losing the family stability.
The common denominator she found in those who stayed together was that they shared a deep-rooted faith in God. - Hal

Bill, Chip Ingram with Living on the Edge has some good teaching on the subject which I have heard on the radio. You may be able to find it on the website at www.lote.org or get a resource from them. Your comment shows you are reading the Bible and taking it seriously which oftentimes leads people to feel convicted of sin. I thought Brenda's comment was excellent on that subject. As for Erik, he has very interesting comments but has indicated in previous comments he does not believe God's words in the Bible are the truth. Are you seeking truth or for someone to tell you what you want to hear? Be very discerning and ask God for wisdom in the matter. May God bless you with His answers and peace in acceptance of His way. - Janice

I do not necessarily see divorcing your spouse as a sin. There can be extenuating circumstances, which forces one person to divorce his or her spouse. Where a man and a woman love each other genuinely, divorce will rarely take place. If a man or woman seeks divorce, how genuine was their mutual love? In marriages which end in divorce, either one or both parties did not understand what constitutes true and unconditional love. Like extra-marital sex, the grass always looks greener on the other side, but once you are on the other side, the grass withers away and the cycle starts all over again. True communication in a marriage can help prevent many divorces. Anybody who has plans to marry should ask themselves whether they really and truly love their future spouse or whether they experience a temporary feeling of love, which is more centred on sex than the actual person they seek to marry. - Frits

Austin- my last two comments weren't posted- they may have fallen through the cracks or perhaps were too strongly worded/inflammatory for this forum- but I just wanted to say that I agree 100% with your interpretation of the Bible on marriage/celibacy. I don't think it's true, mind you, but at least you are honest and consistent, which is more than I can say for most believers. - Erik

For the record, the comments I made that were not posted were not deliberately edited out. I heard from RFTH's webdeacon on this. They didn't go through for some reason. It's probably for the better. I wanted to un-post them as soon as I sent 'em. - Erik

Love the response, I love those odds, just insure the individual is sold out for Jesus (the pig and not the chicken)and your love for God will help keep the marriage. - Elven Johnson

Well, I did respond but before I read many of the other responses. One Item concerning the two divorcies. Repent before God with all sincerity if not for the reasons given in scripture and get on with life. There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Elven Johnson

I just stumbled upon this site on accident and started searching. I was particularly interested in the Divorce Topic because I teach Divorce Care at my church. An excellent book after divorce is Pure Joy, The Positive Side to Single Sexuality. God is good! - Kim

ok bill, i am going thruough a similar thing and i did a little reseacrch to find out what the real deal was. im a recovering cancer paitient im in remission now, and one of my medical providers and i fell in love. ok so im in a middle of a divorce, and she is starting a divorce very soon and claims that she has been very unhappy for years. that she wants to talk about god, and that he says o,"oh no we are not going there", so i wanted to make sure we were ok with these actions. an unevenly yoked marriage. if your marriage is unevenly yoked. you can divorce and you are free to remarry.so if your spouse is spiritually he/she is considered unevenly yoked. look it up. - john

The Marriage covenant is one of the most important taught statues in God's Word. If the marrigae covenant was of no importance or if it could be disregarded so easily God's constant use of it to show his relationship between Himself and His people would be for nought. Malachi 2:16 God says I hate divorce. Matthew 19:3-16 You actually have to research the use of the word fornication as it was intended during Jesus speaking of it. fornication as its use here is sex before marriage. sex with someone other than your spouse during marriage is called adultry. 1 cor. 7:10 Paul says to the married God commands let not the wife depart from her husband, But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
Back to Matthew 19 Jesus said "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." We are still hardening our hearts due to what we want to believe is an exception clause in the next verse. Here are some excerpts from a website.

Matthew 19:10
"(His) disciples said to him, ‘If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ "

In fact most of the passages about Marriage have no exception clause at all.


Mark 10:1-12
"... He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."


Luke 16:18
"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.


1 Corinthians 7:10-15
"To the married, however, I give this instruction (not I, but the Lord): a wife should not separate from her husband —and if she does separate she must either remain single or become reconciled to her husband—and a husband should not divorce his wife ..." NAB


In conclusion, the charge that the Catholic position is inconsistent with the Bible has no basis. Rather, it is the Catholic Church that is most Biblical. Protected by the Divine guidance of the Holy Spirit [ John 14:16, 26] and the constant unchanging Tradition passed down since the time of the Apostles, She has held fast to this difficult, yet life giving teaching.


The Book of Ephesians was the climax of St. Paul’s teachings. He started many Christian communities but it was to the Ephesians that he was able to explain the entire plan of God’s Salvation.

Acts 20:16-27
"Paul ... had the presbyters of the church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them, "You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia. ... and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. ...
26 And so I solemnly declare to you this day that ... I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God." NAB

And it is in this Book of Ephesians that we find the pinnacle of his teaching on marriage.

Ephesians 5:21-33
"Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

"For this reason a man shall leave (his) father and (his) mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband." NAB
Since God is a part of the sacramental union of a married couple it is keeping that the vow be a life long vow. The Bible compares marriage to God’s love for the Church. Even if people in the Church sin against Him, He is always faithful to His unconditional love to them. It is this love, God’s love for the Church that is represented by the spouses vow to love each other until death do them part, for better or for worse. Here is the website address http://members.aol.com/johnprh/marriage.html

I believe the most important thing to remember is 1 cor. 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion". and John 8:31-32 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

- dw